Most "fun" to shoot pocket pistols..

I enjoyed shooting the PF9 I had for a while. Its a handful, but the sights are more like "real" gun sights, and it was always surprisingly accurate.

If you want it to be fun to shoot as well as suitable for pocket carry then it's probably going to have to be a fairly mild caliber. .22LR pocket guns are very fun to shoot, but also my next-to-last choice in a defense gun. The .32ACP is a bit better, and a pistol like the Kel-Tec P32 is easy to shoot as well as having a bit more oomph. Then of course there are the tiny .380s, most of which aren't much fun to shoot at all unless they're larger and heavier than what would qualify as a true pocket gun. In those I would recommend either a Kahr CW380/P380 or one of the Colt Mustang clones (Sig P238, etc). Both are pocketable yet have fairly mild recoil.

You can strike the Rohrbaugh R9 from the list.

I work out with weights and grippers everyday to keep muscle mass in my forearms and maintain a strong grip.

I'm able to shoot the R9 without it punishing my hand or wrist, and while a range session with it brings a gratifying sense of accomplishment - I wouldn't say it's "fun".

The most fun gun I have to shoot is my Glock 17L, which sticks out quite a bit when I try to put it in a pocket.

I have a Beretta Jetfire .25 that's a lot of fun to shoot. It might not be so much fun in a defensive situation, though. I also have a PSA Baby Browning clone, also .25, that I feel the same way about. It's harder to shoot accurately than the Beretta and stings my hand a little because of the tiny grip, but still fun.

I have a Kel-Tec P32 also. That's probably the best compromise between shootability and defensive potential for a pocket pistol: more shootable than a P3AT, carries one more round, marginal caliber but better than .22 or .25 anyway.

I have a couple of subcompact 9MMs that I would rate for shootability as follows: (1) Glock 26, (2) Beretta Nano, (3) Kel-Tec PF9. However, I couldn't call any of these a "pocket pistol" unless you mean a coat pocket instead of a pants pocket.

I wouldn't consider any of those pistols you mentioned true pants pocket pistols. Most true pants pockets pistols are .380's. The closest I've ever been able to come to a 9mm pants pocket pistol is a Kahr CM/PM9. For me there even a little big for me to carry comfortably in a pants pocket and still do the things I normally do during a day. Only exception to that would be the pockets on cargo style pants or shorts. When I do pocket carry I carry a P3at.

I enjoy my Ruger LC9 quite a bit

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Of my current pocket sized autos I would have to say that my Colt Mustang and SIG P-238 are the most fun to shoot. I also have a Baby Browning and while it doesn't generate all that much in felt recoil the small grip area isn't all that comfortable to try and hold onto.

A couple of other fun guns in this category would be a Beretta Jetfire and an Astra Cub.

Kahr CM9

Sig Sauer P238, or Kimber Solo

Talking semi-autos

Pocket guns - bring to mind first, my Walther PP and PPK/s.

However, fun and economy combined make my Beretta 21A in .22LR hard to beat (when you can find the ammo).

Any little .22 or .25.. from a piece a crap to the finest baby Browning etc. There's just something fun about shooting a tiny little gun.. and hitting your target.

J frame 38 with 3" barrel.

Astra Cub (22short)with some CCI ammo.

Any little .22 or .25..

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Agreed.

For me, the clear winner in the "fun to shoot" category is my Taurus PT 22. Never ever jams, though it had a long break in period. On rare occassion, it light strikes, but a second pull of the trigger (it's DAO) always fires the round. IT'S FUN! Accurate, too, up to 25 feet.

Also doesn't cost much...that's part of the fun. It's a clone of the little Beretta, so if you can find a used Beretta, it may not be much more than a new Taurus. Only problem: .22 or .25 marginal for defense. I consider mine a plinker that I can throw in my pocket - it's so small and light I sometimes forget it's there.

Second place for fun is my modded KelTec P-11, but only after the trigger loosened up and I lengthened the grip with a hi-cap mag (and handall). The recoil's now fine. This is my main carry.

If you expanded the category to revolvers, my classic model 37 Smith would be tied for second. Little wood grips are very fun, in my book!

I deeply enjoy shooting my Mauser HSc. That's one of the big reasons it's my EDC.

Jim NE said:

Agreed.

For me, the clear winner in the "fun to shoot" category is my Taurus PT 22. Never ever jams, though it had a long break in period. On rare occassion, it light strikes, but a second pull of the trigger (it's DAO) always fires the round. IT'S FUN! Accurate, too, up to 25 feet..

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I'm really going to have to get one of those. I handled one and I really like everything about it.

For fun you need one of the old pocket pistols that would not fit any modern style except a cargo pocket. But a .32 Colt, Walther, or one of their many competitors can be a great shooter. The corresponding .380s, not so much; a blowback .380 is a bit of a kicker.

My Colt Gov't .380 is locked breech and pretty mild to shoot, though. I use it for IDPA BUG.

My Keltec and S&W Airweight actual pocket guns do not qualify as fun to shoot; just something to grind through a practice session with every once in a while.

Seecamp or NAA Guardian

Actually a decent weight for shooting with so that makes it quite fun.

.25 ACP: Baby Browning. Always draws looks/chuckles at the range.
.32 NAA: NAA Guardian. Like a pocket howitzer, draws looks...and profanities!
.32 ACP: FN1910. Unbelievably accurate, soft-shooting, and a great trigger.
.380 ACP: SIG P238. Surprisingly accurate and soft-shooting for its size/weight.
.38 Sp: Any all-steel snubby. Standard .38 Sp loads are nice and soft.
9x19mm: Kahr MK9. All steel, so it really soaks up recoil

For me (6'-ish and 220 lbs.) anything bigger than the Kahr MK9 isn't pocketable.

2" snubbie with .38 target rounds

"What pistol would reccomend for having some fun at the range with as well as carrying in a pocket?"

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I'll say it....since nobody else has,

NAA .22lr/.22mag mini revolver. Fun and cheap to shoot with the .22lr. .22mag for ccw (bare minimum). A true 'pocket gun'. Truly fun to shoot.

A lot of the guns mentioned in this thread are not what I would consider pocket guns, but I guess it depends on the style of pants you wear and how much discomfort you are willing to accept.

I have a PM9 and find it a little too bulky for regular pocket carry.

I had a PF9 that was also too large for pocket carry and it was certainly no fun to shoot.

It was also mentioned that there were no nines small enough for pocket carry! Well I guess that poster has never heard of or seen the R9.

The NAA I had was just plain painful to shoot as was the Seecamp someone at the range let me shoot. Of course both are BlowBack actions.

My Micro Desert Eagle is 100% reliable but also very painful to shoot and two magazines is all I care to shoot at any one range session with it.

My P238 is clearly the winner when it comes to fun to shoot pocket pistols and my TCP is second.

I have shot a friend's Kahr P380 but it doesn't come close to the P238 and I also prefer the TCP over the little Kahr.

The funnest "pocket gun" for me to shoot was a taurus pt22. It was cheap to feed, reliable, recoiled enough even with .22lr to feel like I was actually shooting something, and I could roll a popcan around just fine at 10 yards all day long. I liked it alot, and it helped me learn to hold, aim, and shoot a pocket gun effectively. It actually filled the role of plinker MUCH better for me than it did as a dedicated carry piece, though. If I was to list my favorite gun that is suitable for both a fun afternoon of shooting and deep concealment, it would be either my PM9, or a .38 spcl. j-frame with light wadcutters for recreational shooting, +p for carry.

Edit: Jim NE beat me to it! I miss mine, makes me want to get another..